What Ships are Built For
by OutToGarden
Summary: Tired of living a dull life and dreading the prospect of college applications and job hunting, Arthur hatches up a plan to run away with his best friend, Alfred. Together, they embark on a journey, traveling around the country and making friends with strangers as they learn about love, life, and what it truly means to live it.


_"A ship in the harbour is a safe ship, but that's not what ships are built for."_

* * *

"Alfred, we could do it."

Alfred looked up at his best friend from where he was sitting at his desk working on his math homework. Arthur had been pacing around the room for the last several minutes, but Alfred, used to Arthur doing strange things when deep in thought, had been doing his best to ignore it.

"Do what?" he asked, resisting the urge to laugh at the overly serious look on Arthur's face.

"Run away," Arthur said with no trace of a jest in his tone. Alfred raised an eyebrow as Arthur resumed his pacing and set down his pencil, having been successfully diverged from his work.

"And where would we go?"

"Anywhere we wanted!" Arthur enthused, suddenly stopping and facing Alfred with bright eyes. "Just you and me, we could go anywhere. Travel wherever the day took us!"

Alfred pressed his lips together to stem the smile that automatically rose to his face. His best friend of several years had begun to go through a somewhat restless phase recently, probably due to the spike in information they were getting about colleges from school ever since they had entered their junior year. He knew Arthur had been experiencing some trepidation about settling down at one school and focusing on one major for the next four years of his life and being slotted into the job market right after, but he hadn't been expecting the notion to go so far as this.

"Uh huh," he sounded, deciding it would be best to just humor Arthur.

"We could just _go_," Arthur said, gazing out the window above Alfred's bed as if he could really see anything beyond the pitch black of night. "I have some money saved up from working all last summer so we could buy food and such. We wouldn't even tell anyone that we were leaving."

"You can't be serious," Alfred said with a slight huff of laughter, unsure if Arthur expected to be taken seriously or if it was just a spur of the moment type idea.

"Of course I am!" Arthur exclaimed. "This is something I've been thinking about for a while."

"So are we just going to walk everywhere?" Alfred questioned. "Where are we going to sleep?"

Arthur wrenched his gaze away from the window to look at him and Alfred was surprised at the amount of passion in Arthur's eyes. "We'll get places anyway we can. Walk, bike, hitch rides, take a bus. As for sleeping, we could stay in a motel when we could, or just sleep outside under the stars. And I'm sure we could find people who would be willing to let us stay a night or two in their houses."

"That sounds sketchy as hell and you know it."

"We can figure it out as we go along," Arthur said, crossing his arms and prickling visibly that his idea wasn't being well-received.

"This isn't like you, dude," Alfred said with a frown. "What's gotten into you?"

"I'm _tired_, Alfred." Arthur visibly deflated and flopped down onto Alfred's bed. "Tired of all the expectations, tired of pretending to be interested in subjects, tired of society dictating how I should spend the rest of my life."

Alfred remained quiet for a moment, surprised and needing the time to think over his response. He didn't want to agitate Arthur further, but he felt he held some sort of obligation as his best friend to talk him through times of doubt.

"Have you ever thought about, I dunno, taking a gap year? They have some really cool ones where you go abroad and do volunteer work. Then you could still have your high school diploma in case you eventually decided that you wanted to go to college or get a job."

"I already talked to my mom about that," Arthur said darkly. "She flipped her shit and made it absolutely clear that I am expected to attend college straight out of high school."

Alfred grimaced, feeling sorry that Arthur had such a controlling mom. He loved Mrs. Kirkland like a second mother, but the woman could really use a lesson on letting her sons have more freedom. "Why don't you try sleeping on it, dude? Maybe this year we'll study something in class that you could spend the rest of your life doing."

Arthur's features twisted in displeasure before smoothing out as Arthur came to stand before Alfred and looked at him with a serious expression. "What do you think is the purpose of life?"

"Uh," Alfred stuttered, unsure how to answer such a broad, philosophical question on short notice.

"No, really," Arthur continued. "What do you think it is? Surely it's not to go along with everyone even if your very spirit screams against it. We should be out there, experiencing things and living our lives the way we want to live them."

"Arthur, don't you think you're getting a little too 'teenage angst'-y?" Alfred asked tiredly, rubbing at the side of his face and leaning back in his desk chair. "Seriously, you sound like some sort of punk-hipster wannabe." He lowered his hands and peered up at Arthur when he didn't get a response and found his friend with a calmer, more thoughtful countenance.

"Maybe," Arthur answered honestly. "But I do know that this is something that I need. I need time and adventure, Alfred; I can't choose a place and subject to settle on for the rest of my life just yet."

"The kind of adventure you're looking for just isn't possible without a shit ton of money," Alfred said matter-of-factly, expecting that to be the final word and for Arthur to let the conversation drop.

"That's the thing, though," Arthur said, excitement rising in his voice again. "I told you I've been thinking a lot about this and I meant it when I said that we could do it. It wouldn't be all that hard. We can leave notes for our parents so they know we weren't kidnapped and then just go wherever we want. We could leave tonight, even."

"And what happens when our parents have every police officer in the country trying to find us? They aren't going to just go along with not knowing where their children are or even if we are still alive. Plus, there are laws against truancy," Alfred pointed out, trying to smash the freedom-craving side of himself that Arthur was starting to break through to.

"We're sixteen. In most states, we are legally allowed to drop out. Although running away is a bit different, we still wouldn't get in trouble. As for people searching for us, let them," Arthur said with a smirk. "We'll be moving around so much that it won't matter."

"I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to run from officers just because you want an adventure." When Arthur merely scowled, Alfred continued. "I'm sorry, but it's just a stupid idea. You aren't thinking realistically."

A look of genuine hurt flashed momentarily across Arthur's features before subsiding back to irritation. "Fine then," Arthur spat, turning away from Alfred and moving to put on his shoes.

"Arthur—" Alfred tried.

"Just forget about it, Alfred," Arthur said as he grabbed his backpack from Alfred's floor and started to leave. "I'm sorry I even brought it up. See you at school tomorrow."

Alfred sighed as Arthur left. Although it happened rarely, he hated it when he and Arthur had a serious disagreement. He really hadn't meant to be so dismissive of the way Arthur felt, but his friend's sudden angst had taken him by surprise and seemed so out of character. Alfred had known Arthur since he had moved to America at the beginning of middle school and never once had his English best friend expressed such passionate, rebellious ideas.

Hoping that the whole thing would blow over, Alfred tried to go back to his homework. However, no matter how many times he tried to do the calculations, he just couldn't seem to regain his focus. He couldn't deny the thrill of excitement he had felt as Arthur had discussed running away together. It _would _be incredible, wouldn't it? Something that every teenager only dreamed about or did in movies. But in the movies, the real world was often romanticized and Arthur needed to get a better look at reality. They could freeze, starve, spend countless nights sleeping on concrete, have no access to showers or clean clothing, get kidnapped, raped, murdered…

Running away from home was always a terrible idea.

Alfred felt much better after he had firmly decided this. Besides, he couldn't say he was dissatisfied with his life. He had parents that cared about him, good friends, subjects in school that interested him, and ideas about where he wanted to go to college.

_He and Arthur were standing on top of the world, their fists raised to the sky in pure joy and they shouted at the night sky just because they could. They were better than happy and most importantly, they were absolutely free._

Alfred swallowed nervously, squinting at the worksheet in front of him. He wasn't considering anything. He couldn't let himself get caught up in Arthur's crazy notions. It would never be as brilliant as it sounded.

Still, Alfred couldn't focus in school the next day. Every time he would develop a firm resolve to pay attention in his classes, his mind would slip back to the image of himself and Arthur traveling the country together and he would doubt himself all over again. He should have been learning how to find trigonometric ratios, but if he and Arthur combined their savings they could probably sustain themselves for several weeks, at least.

Arthur came over to his house later that day after school, intent on pretending that the previous night hadn't happened. It was almost unsettling how normal Arthur was obviously making a point to act as they lay on the floor of Alfred's room together working on homework. Arthur was drafting an essay for his English class while Alfred pretended to finish the math assignment he had been neglecting.

The white and black of the paper glared restrictively up at him, each number and variable he wrote leading him one step closer to a future he now wasn't sure he wanted. He pictured Arthur and him running along open highways in the mountains and sleeping in the desert, watching stars and chasing dreams.

"I hate you," he said. Arthur looked up from his paper and blinked at Alfred through the fringe of his bangs, pencil slipping sideways in his grip out of confusion. Alfred took a moment to appreciate that no matter how much his best friend's heart and mind may change, he would always be able to read his emotions through the way Arthur held his pencil.

"Sorry?"

"I said I hate you. You and your stupid, idealistic fantasies."

Arthur scowled, turning back to his paper. "At least I _have_ them. I'd much rather be a dreamer than live dully and passively."

That sentence, more than anything, resonated with Alfred and his decision was made before he had time to question himself further. He stood, picking his math assignment up as he went and, once he was sure that he had Arthur's full attention, crumpled it into a ball. Arthur's expression went from curious to incredulous as a small smile spread across Alfred's face.

"What you said last night really got to me. As in, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

"And?" Arthur appeared cautious, but Alfred could see a glimmer of hope in his eye.

Alfred took a deep breath, working up the courage to say what he did next. "Let's do it."

Arthur jolted into an upright position, regarding Alfred with wide, hopeful eyes. "You mean it?"

"Yeah," Alfred said, letting out a nervous laugh. "It's crazy and we're probably going to get caught within 24 hours, but let's go."

Before he knew what was happening, Alfred found himself tackled to the floor in an unexpected hug from Arthur. Just as quickly, Arthur was pulling away and smiling sheepishly at his rash action, glee obvious all over his face.

"_Thank you_," he gushed, "it's going to be brilliant, I promise. We'll never be bored again, Alfred. We can live the way we want."

Alfred blushed, caught up in the way Arthur's body had felt on his and surprised that he hadn't minded it. He had a deep sense that he would come to regret agreeing to go, but it was also exciting at the same time. Besides, if it made Arthur so happy, it was worth it.

"Okay, so we'll go tonight?" Alfred asked hesitantly.

"Let's go right now!" Arthur said, his face falling into a contemplative mode as he began planning out everything they would need to do. "Pack your stuff. Put all of the clothing and food you can fit into a duffel bag and meet me at the bank in an hour. Bring whatever information you'll need in order to withdraw all your money. Also, see if you can get a knife and a flashlight and _don't _forget your phone and charger."

"Why do I need to withdraw all my money?"

Arthur fixed him with a look that clearly said _are you serious right now?_ "Obviously we'll need to buy things and we can't use our cards. Our parents could use that to track us, not to mention they could freeze our accounts to try and force us back home."

Alfred nodded, ignoring the roiling sensation of disbelief and nerves and pure _thrill_ in his stomach. He felt like some sort of vigilante or criminal. "What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to my house to get my stuff."

With that, Arthur spun on his heel and hurried from the room. The weight of what he had just agreed to settled in him and he suddenly felt at a loss for what he should do. He looked around his room for a minute, hoping to land his gaze on something that could point him in the right direction. _There_. His luggage was under his bed. He walked over and crouched down, reaching under to drag the duffel bag out.

"Okay, okay," he muttered, "clothes." He stumbled over to his dresser, pulling open a drawer at random and pulling out a stack of shirts with slightly shaking hands. He repeated the action until he felt he had a sufficient variety and then tossed the bag over his shoulder and headed to the kitchen. There, he threw in packages of things that were light, like bags of trail mix and chips and a box or two of granola bars. He also found a few apples in the fridge and filled up a bottle of water to add to the collection.

Next, he made a quick loop around the house, searching for things that would be invaluable once they were on their own. What did people need to survive, anyway? He grabbed a few items, hoping to whatever higher power was out there that he wouldn't kick himself later for forgetting anything important. He thought he did a pretty good job, but he was so hyped up on adrenaline that it was hard to think super coherently.

The last thing he did before grabbing his bank information and rushing out the door to meet Arthur was scribble down a note for his parents and place it in plain sight on the kitchen counter. Most likely, they wouldn't be home for a few more hours and he and Arthur would be long gone by then, but they deserved some sort of explanation.

_I'm not really sure where I'm going or for how long, but try not to worry too much about me. I want some time to just get out and experience things for myself. Sorry for taking some of the food, but you know me and my appetite. Don't get police involved in searching for me. I love you._

He didn't bother to mention that he was going with Arthur; his parents would figure it out once they called Arthur's parents and found out that Arthur was missing, too. He did feel a sense of guilt for the panic he was sure to cause, but at the same time, he had never felt more excited in his life.

Arthur was already waiting for him at the bank when he arrived, his green eyes brighter than Alfred had ever seen them. Although the clerks sent them both slightly suspicious looks for suddenly wanting to make full withdrawals in cash, the transactions went through and they soon were shoving their life savings into the bags hitched over their shoulders. There was a bus station not too far from them, so as they walked there, they discussed where they were going to go first and the things they wanted to see and do.

Too caught up in the thrill of the moment, they were unable to come to an agreement on their plan of action, instead deciding to get on the first bus that got them _somewhere_. Once they shoved their bags under their seats and settled down for the ride, they looked at each other with wide, disbelieving eyes and terrified, happy smiles.

They left their town with nothing but clothing, some assorted food, about four thousand dollars in cash, two water bottles, a pocketknife, two cellphones, two chargers, three books, one map of the United States, one hat, three pairs of shoes, two pillows, one towel, one stuffed unicorn, and a notebook and pen between them. They wouldn't return for nearly two years.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm really, incredibly excited about this fic. I have this idea in my head of a long, sprawling epic in which Alfred and Arthur go on this huge journey full of life and adventure and throughout, they fall in love and grow up and find themselves. I'm not sure how well I'm going to be able to translate my thoughts out into words, but I hope that you are going to enjoy this. I chose to rate it M for whatever may come in the future, because sex and foul language is inevitable and there will probably be underage drinking. **

**To my returning readers, I'm so sorry about my long absence. It's not that I haven't been writing anything, it's just that I haven't been happy enough with the product to post it. For some reason, I've become super picky and so I feel like nothing I write is good enough. Please let me know how you feel about this chapter! Also, college life has been crazy. As a biology/environmental studies double major, I have so little free time. In other news, I finally came out to pretty much everyone I've ever known as a lesbian and life is great. **

**I can't promise super regular updates, but I CAN promise that they will come. As for my other writings, they haven't been abandoned, either. I will finish everything I ever post, even if it takes a really fucking long time.**

**I love you guys! Feedback would be appreciated and will be rewarded with my virtual love. **


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